


Apart

by DumbScribbles



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, DreamSMP - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Platonic Relationships, Separation Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumbScribbles/pseuds/DumbScribbles
Summary: The sun sets on the second day of Jschlatt's rule over the newly named nation of Manberg. Tommy and Tubbo, still struggling with their new lives and separation, are both comforted by a man in a crown.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Eret, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 8
Kudos: 520





	1. Technoblade

**Author's Note:**

> After the inauguration streams I was dying to write something, so here's whatever my brain came up with. Both chapters will take place at the same time but different POVs, the (in-game) day Techno came into the server and Manberg was renamed.
> 
> Rated T for swears.

Techno stepped back outside into the evening breeze, just barely able to feel it as the hill mostly shielded him from it. He was tired, but he was pretty sure that was acceptable. He had traveled quite a ways and been in more than a few stressful situations, so this upcoming night of rest would be pretty well deserved. 

Wilbur had asked him to go find Tommy so they could start resting in shifts. Techno wasn't sure where the blond boy was, but he had seen him leave earlier. After their journey to the hideout, Tommy had gone a lot quieter. Right before he disappeared, Techno had seen the look in his eyes. He had done perfectly well concealing the rest of his facial expressions, but through his eyes Techno could see the anguish he was going through.

He didn't need to look far. As soon as he climbed up on the hill to look around, he saw an elbow and boot peeking out from one of the trees on the hilltop. He quietly walked over and was about to reach down when he heard the unmistakable sound of a sob.

It was just a small, shaky inhale, and now Techno realized that Tommy's elbow had been sticking out because he had been rubbing his tears away.

For a split second, Techno thought about going back and getting Wilbur instead. He knew plenty about fighting and farming potatoes, but talking? Dealing with emotions? It really seemed like something Wilbur should handle instead.

No. His friend needed support, and Techno was going to give him that. He bent down and took a seat in the grass next to Tommy. The boy flinched and immediately turned his head away. He pulled his knees up tighter into his chest and buried his face in his arms, desperately trying not to show he was crying even though it was pretty obvious already. Techno sighed.

"Long day, huh?"

Tommy froze, and all Techno heard was a tiny sniffle from behind his arms.

"Wilbur wants to do sleeping shifts soon, but if you just wanna get some things out, I'll listen."

Tommy swiped at his eyes a few more times, then rested his head on his knees, face turned away from Techno

"I don't want to build a new home," he rasped. Techno had never heard Tommy's voice so quiet. "I want our old one back, but it's too late. It's gone." 

Techno turned his head up. The moon, nearly full, had just risen over the horizon, casting a dull white glow over the treetops. The air started to feel uncomfortably cold.

"We spent everything to make it, to build those walls and claim that name- he, he really changed it to _Manberg,_ that's so fuckin' stupid, I can't believe…" Tommy had raised his head but was still turned away. A shaky fist gripped his mud spattered pants. Then it loosened.

"And… Tubbo."

Techno had been a loner most of his life. Yes, he had Wilbur and Tommy and Phil, but there was a reason he had chosen to stay off the land of DreamSMP for so long. He just preferred to do things alone. But Techno knew the deal with Tommy and Tubbo. They were a two-for-one package. Even though war and possible betrayal, Tommy probably still cared about Tubbo more than anyone else.

"...I really hope he's okay." was all the blond managed to say. Tommy looked up at the moon. His eyes were excruciatingly red, but Techno made sure not to show any notice of it. Hesitantly, he reached over and placed a hand on Tommy's head.

"I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about you," He ruffled the boy's blond hair a bit, and he finally met Techno's gaze, looking embarrassed. "I mean, he's your best friend. You're allowed to miss him." 

Tommy looked back in the direction of Manberg, eyes hollow. It was just barely audible, but Techno heard him say, "I do,"

"You're incredibly strong, Tommy, I mean that. But this would be a lot for anyone to handle. For now, let's just go get some rest, alright?"

Techno rose to his feet and offered a hand to Tommy, who took it and pulled himself up. He sniffled again and rubbed his nose on his sleeve. He gave Techno a small smile, which Techno returned before turning to walk back down the hill.

"Here, go splash your face in the river, and I'll tell Wilbur we're ready. I think he wants to keep watch first." Tommy nodded as they walked down the hill together. "Thanks big man," he heard the young Brit say as he walked away. Techno opened the door to the hill-house to see Wilbur climbing back up the mined-out stairs.

"I reckon we can make good use of that ravine… Where's Tommy?"

"He'll be here in a sec, he's just a little… stressed."

Wilbur looked exhausted, but a little chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm so fucking proud of that kid, honestly." He sighed, leaning against the dirt wall.

Techno smiled. "Yeah,"


	2. Eret

_Where did he go?_

Eret walked past the spruce chairs strewn about in the audience area, gazing up at the stage. The stage where, quite frankly, everything went wrong. Eret climbed up the hill and headed for the White House. He was pretty sure he had seen Tubbo go up here.

As he reached the double doors, he could still hear the distant sounds of Schlatt's harsh voice and Quackity's nervous laughter. Despite being so eager to team up, even Quackity had been unsure of a lot of the decisions Schlatt was making. He had stood right there next to Eret in protest of destroying the signs of L'Ma- sorry, _Manberg,_ as it was now called. Still, Schlatt had him wrapped back around his finger with a bit of flirting.

As soon as Eret closed the doors behind him, he heard a shaky gasp before nothing but silence. It was close, but muffled. Slowly, he walked over to the little door under the stairs, and gave it a few light knocks.

"Tubbo? It's Eret." There was no reply. Hesitantly, Eret grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.

In the corner of the little room, Tubbo was curled into a ball, face hidden by his knees, hands gripping at his messy brown bangs. His entire body was trembling, and Eret swiftly shut the door before sitting down on the wooden floor next to him. He immediately wrapped an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder lightly.

A few long seconds passed, and Tubbo couldn't hold it any longer. He broke into a sobbing mess, reaching his arms around Eret in an awkward, desperate hug, and Eret returned it, heart aching at the miserable state his friend was in. For a few minutes, Eret simply sat there, hoping he was supplying at least a little comfort for the boy shakily crying in his arms. Finally, Tubbo's breathing finally began to slow down, and he managed to stop his tears.

Eret released Tubbo from the hug to let him gain his composure. The brown-haired boy straightened up and wiped the tears off his face. Eret quietly suggested he take a few deep breaths, and after doing so, he just stared at the opposite wall, looking completely lost.

"I don't know, Eret, I don't know what to do. I tore down those signs, and the walls, I followed Schlatt's orders, I-I'm a traitor!" Tubbo's voice was hoarse and strung with panic, and his eyes were wide. 

"Tubbo, you're not a traitor," began Eret. _Well, he kind of is,_ said the logical voice in his head, but Eret ignored it. "You know I know what a traitor looks like, and you're definitely not it." The younger boy turned to look at him, his expression still pained with guilt.

"You're afraid, we all are, and that's why we're listening to him. We've pretty much got no choice right now, unless we want to be killed." They weren't the most reassuring words, but they were the truth. Eret knew it was better to be honest instead of trying to sugar-coat it for him.

"I… I keep trying to contact Tommy, but he won't respond," Tubbo mumbled, eyes darting first to his communicator, then to the door. "I wanted to go with him, I should've ran for it, I was so stupid…" he paused, holding his head in his hands. "I just miss him so much, man."

Tubbo let his arms go limp, and Eret could tell just how tired he was. Once again, Eret brought an arm around Tubbo, letting the boy lean on him.

"Things definitely don't look good right now, but I know Tommy would want you to stay strong. And wherever he is out there, he's probably missing you a whole lot too." Tubbo only sighed. Words probably weren't going to do a whole lot for him right now. Eret knew being separated from Tommy like this was probably taking the worst toll on him. If Tommy wasn't even answering his messages, there wasn't really anything Tubbo could do, but Eret genuinely believed that nothing in this world could truly tear these two apart. 

For a few more minutes the two Brits sat in silence, which was a nice change from all the yelling and clinking pickaxes. Even though he had betrayed them, Eret had put a hell of a lot of work in building those walls. Plus, he did respect the emotional value put into them, so he was actually pretty upset that they were gone. Breaking Eret's thoughts, Tubbo pushed himself to his feet, and Eret followed. The older peeked his head out of the door, and stepped out of the room after confirming that he could not see or hear anyone else around. Fear was shining in Tubbo's eyes again as he stepped out into the main room, but he was standing up straight and keeping his chin up.

"How about you just go upstairs and sleep, I'll tell Schlatt you've gone to bed." Tubbo really looked like he liked the idea of sleeping, but the reminder that Schlatt might look for him made him tense up again.

"Maybe I should just go tell him…"

"No, you need this right now, Tubbo. Everyone is perfectly worthy of a good long rest after today, but if he asks for you, I'll make sure he leaves you alone. I promise." Eret watched as the final glimmers of protest left Tubbo's eyes, and he mumbled a soft "Okay," before turning up to the stairs. Eret headed for the door, but before he pushed the open, Tubbo spoke again.

"Thank you, Eret."

The crowned man pushed the doors open, the cool night air fresh on his face.

"It's no problem at all."


	3. Apart (again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter!! This isn't based on any streams, apart from a few details in Wilbur's stream the day after the inauguration.

Tommy stood unflinching as the tree hit the ground with a crash of leaves. He proceeded to swing his axe down onto the fallen trunk, cutting it into a few even sections. He hauled each piece into his little makeshift cart, and went back to cut off a few sturdy branches from the tree.

The construction of Pogtopia was moving along quite well. It had been over a week since inauguration day, and the ravine had really started to feel like home. Well, not home, but somewhere safe and comfortable. Tommy was still just feeling grateful Techno was with them, firstly because they hadn't seen him in so long, and secondly because he had been incredibly helpful the entire time.

And not just in farming and resource gathering; subtly he had been supplying a lot of emotional support for both Tommy and Wilbur. Tommy still felt humiliated that Techno had seen him crying, but the words the pig-man spoke to him had really helped him calm down, and afterwards he acted like it never happened. Almost. Tommy had always thought of Techno as socially awkward, but the older man seemed to be able to read Tommy surprisingly well. He knew when it was right to put a supportive hand on Tommy's shoulder, and when it was right to leave him be.

The day after Techno's arrival, Tommy had finally gotten to speak to Tubbo AND see him again. Though they didn't get many chances to talk directly to each other, just hearing Tubbo's voice had been so relieving, and a whole lot more so when he immediately agreed to be their inside-man. It had all been shocking and confusing at first, but Tommy firmly believed that Tubbo would never betray them. The only thing that worried the blond was the idea of Tubbo always having to stick close to Schlatt. He had instinctually jumped in when the horned man had yelled at Tubbo at their visa meeting, but he was on his own now. He already given them some pretty good info, reporting to Wilbur through their communicators every few days or so. And as far as Tubbo knew, Schlatt had no idea he was a spy. But if he ever found out…

Thankfully, Tommy's thoughts were interrupted by the fairly near sound of a twig snapping. While he had been thinking, Tommy had already retrieved all the branches he wanted and began pulling his cart full of wood back towards Pogtopia. Tommy dropped the cart handle and looked back in the general direction of the noise, reaching for his axe. Sure enough, he saw just a tiny sliver of something, but it had moved to hide behind a tree before Tommy could identify anything about it. Axe in hand, he silently began to creep up on the tree he had seen the figure go behind. He was only about ten feet away when the figure, a human for sure, peeked around the trunk, a wide eye surrounded by brown bangs, and then-

"T-Tommy! It's me, it's me!" From behind the tree, a panicked-looking Tubbo stepped ou- _no, is that really Tubbo, because-_

"What the fuck are you wearing, Tubbo?"

The brown-haired boy stopped in his tracks, quickly glanced down at himself, then looked back up apologetically.

"Oh… it's dress code. Schlatt says we all have to wear suits now." Tommy just stared at him with an incredulous look on his face.

"Well, that's fuckin' stupid,"

"Yeah," was all Tubbo said. Tommy put his axe away, and suddenly everything felt very awkward because they were just stood staring at each other in silence. They were on the same side, of course, but with Tubbo in this shiny suit and tie and Tommy in his old dirty clothes and survival gear, it all just felt… wrong. Like their puzzle pieces didn't fit together anymore.

Why? Why couldn't they just be normal? Tommy hated it. He missed Tubbo. So, so badly. With every fiber in his body. He took a step forward.

"Tubbo, I…" He took another step. Then another. No, now he was just walking, faster and faster, _now what, what do I do-_

Tubbo took the final step forward, and the boys pulled each other into a tight hug. He heard Tubbo let out a soft chuckle into his shoulder as he gripped at the back of Tommy's shirt. Tommy sighed quietly as he felt a soothing warmth fill his chest, almost like he had drinken a healing potion.

Tommy was pretty sure they had only hugged once before, the day L'Manberg gained independence, but back then they had never left each other's sides, and were surrounded by all their friends in an overjoyed, exhausted celebration. Now they were alone in the middle of the forest, and being seen together would have dire repercussions for at least one of them.

The hug lasted for a lot longer than necessary, but neither of them seemed to mind. Tommy loosen his grip on Tubbo, who hesitantly let go as well and took a step back. He smiled at Tommy, relief shimmering in his eyes.

"I've really missed you," he said quietly, tugging at the sleeves of his uncomfortably-stiff looking suit.

"Yeah, it's been pretty shit now that there's no one around to laugh at my jokes," Tommy replied in his _you know what I really mean_ voice. Tubbo laughed, wow, it felt like he hadn't heard Tubbo laugh in ages, and Tommy chuckled a bit too.

"So how's it been in Pogtopia?" asked Tubbo, sitting down in the grass. Tommy sat down in front of him, picking at the tiny green blades under his feet.

"Pretty good man, uh, I think the only things I've eaten for the past four days are meat and potatoes. Techno's started getting serious about training, but I really think Wilbur's already improved quite a lot, he beat me in a few practice rounds earlier today… And, how've you been, alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, it's been… I try to get outside as much as I can, but Schlatt always makes me come in and do paperwork. I know it's good to get all the info, but I'm just tired of writing his stuff for him. I usually just hang out with Eret. Big Q too, actually, he seems really stressed lately…"

"You gotta be careful with Big Q, man," Tommy interjected, looking a little annoyed at the mention of the vice president.

"I know, I know, but he isn't much older than us, and I worry about anyone who has to work that closely to Schlatt. I mean, I still want to think of him as a friend, even if he…" Tubbo trailed off, looking down guiltily.

"Yeah, he's kind of a big dickhead for basically being the reason this happened, but…" Tommy really did think for a moment. Back when Quackity had first arrived, when he and Tubbo and Jack had shown him around, war won and hardly a worry in the world. "I guess he was a pretty cool friend." There was a small moment of silence before either spoke again, a bit of time to wipe away the bitter feelings.

They chatted on about a few more less trivial things, Tubbo was taking care of Henry, Wilbur tried to teach Techno some guitar (Techno broke half the strings, leaving Wilbur in tears), and how they both watched the meteor shower last night. As the conversation settled down, Tommy just tried to savour the feeling of Tubbo's presence, the familiar comforting aura he had been missing. Tubbo looked at him sadly, and Tommy tried to brace himself for what was coming.

"They've probably noticed I'm gone," said Tubbo, standing up and dusting off his dress pants. "I need to collect some materials and head back before they get suspicious." Tommy got up and tried to keep his voice even as he said, "Yeah, gotta be safe."

The blond turned his head away from his friend, afraid that his sorrow was showing. Then, in a sudden flash of movement, Tubbo stepped over and wrapped his arms tightly around Tommy. It took him a second to comprehend, but Tommy completed the hug, the bittersweet exchange making him feel sick.

They separated quickly, Tommy leaving a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder.

"Please, be careful," he whispered, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and sincere. Tubbo placed his hand over Tommy's.

"I will. You too, big man," he whispered back, smiling at the final two words. Tommy turned away and went back over to his cart, prepared to make the trek back to Pogtopia. He looked back at Tubbo, who was already out of the clearing and heading into the trees. The brown-haired boy turned, waved, then disappeared into the wall of tree trunks.

Tommy sighed as he pulled his cart along behind him, but the fuzzy warmth of the hug, of their meeting, of Tubbo, remained in his chest and kept a smile locked on his face.

They would come back. They would take Schlatt down and end the chaos he had engulfed their nation in. They would restore peace in the land of DreamSMP.

And maybe when all that was done, Tommy could get a little more used to hugging.


End file.
